Lunging for stability

My trip up to The Gap didn't go as planned. A metaphor for life really but we made the most of it.

The forecast was good but the Porters Pass area was like this all day. We had a GPS but still ended up on the wrong ridge. We should have been one ridge over.

Once in the clouds we couldn't see our destination. We took a bearing at one point and headed across towards the ridge we should be one. It was steep, broken, fractured, loose and well, I enjoyed it ;-)

View large for maximum steepness and rockyness.

But it was hairy and with altitude it just got thicker and our visibility decreased. You have to make a call at some point and we did. Stop, have a late lunch and go back down.

On a fine day the views are spectacular. Not today. But plenty of exercise and a jolly good scramble. My arms are sprinkled with punctures from a very close encounter with a famous Spaniard. Unfortunately it was clinging to a rib of rock right where I needed to cling.

Nearby at Mt Hutt Pixelsmith enjoyed this.

A long day for hpx and I'll slink off to bed.